Black shall only be my soul
by Quillandwand
Summary: The Black sisters are well-known in the Pureblood circles. When the first of them elopes, it comes as a shock. When the second one thinks death is too harsh a punishment, it is an even greater shock. And then the third one fails where she has never failed before.


"I heard it was you who found your _dear_ sister's letter." Bellatrix spun around, and stared at Lucius. The young man hardly passed as such, basically a boy fresh out of Hogwarts, and yet he had the gall to speak to her like this.

" _Dear_ sister? After what she's done, she's nothing more than any other blood traitor." She didn't waste much time thinking about what she was saying, so it was only when Lucius' cold mask slipped and made way for a smug, little smile that she realised she would have to be more careful from now on. Despite his age, the Malfoy heir was ambitious, and while his affections for the youngest of the three Black sisters, Narcissa, were as honourable as they could be, he had no love for Bellatrix. In his future, Lucius saw himself holding a high position within the ranks of the Dark Lord, and she was the most likely to get in his way. No, she couldn't afford to slip up around him in the future, especially when she knew Narcissa was confiding in him.

However, she didn't have more time to contemplate what exactly Lucius was planning. They had been summoned by the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord did not like to be kept waiting. Glancing one more time at Lucius, Bellatrix whirled back around and pushed open the wooden double doors separating her from her master.

* * *

"But why do you want to leave so soon?" Voldemort's high pitched voice echoed through the room. The Death Eaters that had believed the meeting was over and had turned to leave, quickly hurried back and formed a circle around the Dark Lord once more. As Bellatrix looked over the assembled group, one thing filled her with dread – Lucius was standing at the Dark Lord's side. He didn't usually get to be close to him as he hadn't risen high enough for that kind of privilege yet, but there he was. Although the way Lucius looked at her made her feel like prey that was about to be caught, whenever the Dark Lord's gaze landed on her, anticipation made her whole body tingle.

"Lucius has informed me of something that happened just last night. Something... That another one of us hasn't told us about... Even though it affects her much more than anyone else here." Bellatrix suppressed the urge to grind her teeth. Instead she stuck out her chin, and straightened her back.

"My Lord, I wanted to make sure I was the first one to go after her." That was what Bellatrix had told herself. It was what she truly believed. Andromeda was a blood traitor, she had eloped with a _Mudblood._ She had been her sister, and it made the betrayal so much worse.

"Well, well, well." The Dark Lord slowly began to walk in a circle around the group of Death Eaters. "Those of you who don't know... Andromeda Black has turned from her family, her blood, to become a blood traitor." He made a tutting sound as he stopped in front of Bellatrix, his wand drawn and pointed right at her chest. Some of the Death Eaters just smiled widely at Bellatrix, while others were laughing. The witch had quickly risen to her current position thanks to her use of force and the terror she inflicted on people. It didn't make her a popular person amongst the group.

"I understand, my Lord. Give me the chance to take her out, and you will not regret it." Voldemort actually laughed at her, but followed it up with a curt nod.

"You have one month. After that, anyone can kill her on sight." Bellatrix relaxed minimally, before she took the opportunity to look over her Dark Lord's shoulder toward Lucius. The Malfoy heir didn't look as pleased as he had before, but still pleased enough that it infuriated her.

"With that matter taken care of... You are all dismissed." The circle parted as the Dark Lord walked away, and the Death Eaters left without a second glance.

* * *

Bellatrix didn't know how Lucius had managed to talk to Narcissa before she did, but by the time she returned home, her younger sister was waiting for her.

"You cannot kill her." The older witch stared at the younger one, her eyes blazing with the anger she had managed to suppress so far.

"She betrayed us, Cissy! She's a blood traitor." Narcissa flinched, both at her sister's retort and her approach as Bellatrix shrugged off her cloak.

"Bella, until yesterday you treated her the same as you treat me. The same as you treat Lucius. And just as well as any other Pureblood we know." At first, Narcissa struggled when Bellatrix grabbed her by the arm, but relented when she began to pull her towards her room. Once the door was closed behind the two, Bellatrix let Narcissa go and walked over to the window.

"She betrayed us. Our _dear_ cousin, Sirius, wasn't enough. No! Now our _sister_ just had to go and do the same thing." With each syllable Bellatrix's shrieks became louder, her movements more frantic. "What she has done is disgusting, and she should die for it." Bellatrix had slowly but surely become unrecognisable to Narcissa, her fanaticism showing as clearly as it had never before. Narcissa did the only sensible thing she could – kept her mouth shut, and nodded.

"I agree with you, Andromeda should suffer. But if you kill her, you spill your own blood. When you look at her, your wand at the ready, you need to know that you'll be destroying a part of your family." In response, Bellatrix sneered and simply pushed past the younger woman to leave.

"Watch what you're saying, Narcissa, or I'll start believing your ideals aren't as pure as they should be."

* * *

Andromeda couldn't be found anywhere – not after a few weeks, not after a month, not after six months, not after a year. While the Death Eaters hadn't forgotten her crimes, Andromeda Tonks was low on their list of priorities. On Bellatrix's personal list of priorities, however, her sister was still high up, and time only served to fuel her obsession with the blood traitor's whereabouts.

One day she got lucky.

It was a standard raid for the Death Eaters, an attack on one of the safe houses they knew the Order of the Phoenix used, and one of the people running was Andromeda Tonks. Bellatrix chased after her, following her through half of the English countryside with several other Death Eaters and members of the Order of the Phoenix on their tail.

And just as quickly her luck turned - with quite a few people around in the confusion of the attack, her hesitation in killing Andromeda was caught. After all this time, she ended up thinking of Narcissa's words, and it made her hesitate for just a second too long. All she remembered, just before she got stunned, were Andromeda's surprised brown eyes.

* * *

Excruciating pain woke Bellatrix. Pain like she had felt only once before during her initiation into the Death Eaters. The Cruciatus Curse at the tip of her Lord's wand.

"Bellatrix, Bellatrix, you promised me that I wouldn't regret setting you on your sister. And yet, she has escaped us." More pain than imaginable shot through her, pulling at her muscles, at her bones, at whatever was left of her soul. The pain stopped once again, and she desperately gulped down big breaths of air.

"She was too quick, she knows me too well."

"Excuses." And then there was more pain, pain with no end in sight, and she could hear constant laughter from the other Death Eaters. This was it. There was only two ways this could possibly end – either with her death, or with her position within the Death Eaters forever lost, irredeemable. First, Andromeda's betrayal. Then Narcissa's words. Her family had ruined her.

* * *

"Bellatrix Black... I have asked your father for your hand in marriage, and he accepted. Now I ask you, will you marry me?" Rodolphus Lestrange had started his courting of her not too long after her punishment at the hands of the Dark Lord. Throughout the months, Bellatrix had been unable to decide whether she should accept him, or reject him. Marriage, especially a pure-blood marriage, had never interested her. She didn't love Rodolphus. She could never love a man like she loved her Lord, even at a time like this when she wasn't in his good graces.

As difficult as the decision was, Bellatrix knew there was a high chance this match would be beneficial for her. She would leave behind her family name, and becoming a Lestrange would be the beginning of a new chapter in her life. She would do anything to regain her position amongst the Death Eaters. Really, if one thought about it, marrying Rodolphus Lestrange was a small price to pay.


End file.
